


The Sun Will Rise

by Nickygp



Series: Cry. Learn. Forgive. Repeat. [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Becoming A Hero, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Team as Family, media attention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-09-23 06:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9644186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nickygp/pseuds/Nickygp
Summary: Part 3 of "Cry. Learn. Forgive. Repeat"May Parker has died, and Peter isn't taking it well. It's time for Tony to step in and bring Peter fully into the fold. Little does he realize, however, that this will alter their lives forever.(Aka what happens before and after Tony adopts both Peter and Kamala)





	1. What a nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> I know I haven't updated the main fic in a while, but I REALLY wanted to get this going before finishing the main fic.  
> Please, please, if you have not read the main fic GO READ IT. You will not understand what's happening here if you don't have a working understand of the universe I have built. These side fics are mere fillers for the main thing.

Tony had been in his workshop when he had found out about May’s death. It had taken him ten minutes to realize that he had fallen to his knees as he was shaking like a leaf, his heart breaking painfully as waves of rage, grieve and worry hit him hard enough to leave him breathless. It took Tony almost twenty minutes to calm down enough to call Fury, and it took another twenty for the man to get to Tony’s office. It took Fury almost ten minutes of arguing with Tony to finally convince him that yes, he really was what Peter needed right now and that it was time Tony brough Peter fully into the fold.

All in all, an entire hour had passed before Tony instructed Friday to find Peter.

“Sir, he seems to be trying to pursue his aunt’s assailant,” Friday said, worry lacing her voice. “From what I can gather, he has been gathering information from the CCTV’s near the crime scene and it looks like he hacked into the NYPD’s tracking system.”

Tony cursed under his breath, giving Fury a worried look. “Where is he right now, Fry?”

“Leaving his apartment, sir,” the AI called immediately.

“You have to stop him, Tony, before he does something he’ll regret later,” Fury said meaningfully, both knowing what it was like to be so consumed by grief that you allowed rage to take over completely.

“Yeah, not sure I’m the best one for the job,” Tony muttered under his breath, the image of Bucky clear in his mind’s eye.

What he was about to do was more than a bit hypocritical, but there was one big difference; Peter was still young. He was still mostly untouched by the atrocities of the world, and Tony would not allow him to dirty himself, not like this.

Tony knew Peter well enough to know that he was, much like Tony, T’Challa and countless others, just acting out of blinding rage right now. He would regret it for years if he actually hurt someone, no matter how badly they had hurt him first.

Tony took off then, letting Friday pilot as she was the one tracking Peter. He allowed himself to draw inwardly, knowing Friday would not let him crash. A million jumbled thoughts crossed his mind as he tried to figure out what the best course of action was. He would first need to clear his schedule in order to keep an eye on Peter at least for the first week. He was scheduled to visit a new hospital Stark Industries had built in Sokovia - or what was left of it - and he had three UN meetings he could not exactly miss.

He’d have to make Coulson step in for him, and Rhodey would have to go to Sokovia to give the opening speech. God, they were going to kill him, but Peter was currently higher on his priority list.

He jolted back to reality when he felt himself hitting solid ground. He adjusted to his terrain almost immediately, feeling his stomach twist into knots when his eyes focused on the predatory looking Peter, who had cornered a grown man into a dark alley.

“Spiderman!” Tony called as he flew closer, staying slightly behind Peter to force him to shift his attention from the men to Tony.

Peter froze when he heard Tony’s voice, his bleeding heart twisting painfully. He turned around, eternally grateful for his mask, which covered the tear tracks and red eyes. He felt so… utterly wrecked, he wasn’t sure he could deal with having to talk to Tony right now. In fact, he didn’t even want to think about why the man had gone through the effort of tracking him.

All he wanted was to see his aunt’s killer dead. He wanted to see his blood run down the alley into the very sewers, where it belonged.

“Spiderman, I need you to listen to me, alright? I know you’re angry, but you need to calm down. We need to turn that man in, alright?” Tony said softly and slowly, walking closer to Peter.

“What are you even doing - I can handle this on my own,” Peter bit out mercilessly, the warning clear in his voice.

Tony sighed. “Peter… remember what I told you when we first came back from Germany?” Tony asked quietly as he came to stand next to the boy.

“Not to do anything you wouldn’t do?” Peter said, feeling more and more defensive by the second. He didn’t need a lecture right now.

“No, I told you not to do anything I _would_ do,” Tony whispered, thankful for his faceplate in that moment.

Peter froze, the statement clearly throwing him off balance. He turned to face Tony, a million questions racing through his eyes. His aunt’s assailant chose that moment to make a run for it, hoping the two men were distracted enough to give him a window of opportunity. He ran past Tony and hurried his pace, hoping to reach the entrance to the alley before either man could catch him.

Peter, however, was faster thanks to his spider reflexes. He moved with a grace few people possessed, jumping on the man and pinning him against the nearest wall. The wall cracked with the strength of Peter’s push, the concrete encrusting itself in the man’s skin, making him bleed.

“You, scumbag,” Peter spit out, tears running down underneath his mask. He threw the man to the floor, straddling the man’s stomach in order to punch him in the face.

“Peter!” Tony called in warning, flying towards the young boy. He picked Peter up and pinned him against the wall, knowing he didn’t have much time, considering Peter had superhuman strength. “Fry-” Tony called, and the AI immediately opened a compartment in the suit, releasing a sleeping gas into the air.

“Fuck… you,” Peter said as he tried to remain awake, knowing he wasn’t going to make it. The gas was too strong. He could already feel his muscles relaxing, forcing him to yield to Iron Man.

“I am so sorry,” Tony said, his voice breaking, before he released Peter’s wrists, lowering himself to pick up the boy bridal style. “Friday, have the cops pick up this asshole. I want him holed up in isolation for the rest of his miserable life,” Tony bit out mercilessly, feeling more than a bit of rage in Peter’s behalf.

He might not be able to let Peter exact revenge, but he sure as hell could make sure the man paid for his crimes against Tony’s boy.

\---------------------------------

Tony felt his stomach clench when he noticed Peter’s breathing pattern change. He knew the boy would wake up eventually, but, no matter how much he tried to prepare himself for the coming conversation, he just did not feel up for it. He didn’t know how to appease Peter, and he sure as hell did not feel strong enough to lose yet another person he cared about.

“What…” Peter croaked, sitting up, wincing as he tried to identify where he was. “Tony?” He asked as soon as his eyes landed on the man, his memories coming back a mile a minute.

Peter let out a gushing breath and stood up, barely containing a snarl. “Why?”

“Trust me, you would have regretted your actions in the morning,” Tony said as he too stood up. “I had to intervene. He’s in prison now, Peter, and he won’t be walking free. I have my lawyers working to bury him alive. He’s not going to harm anyone else.”

“He killed my aunt and you just…” Peter half howled, launching himself at Tony. He landed on top of the man, sending them both tumbling to the ground. “I am not a kid! You had no right!” Peter screamed as he held Tony by the lapels of his suit.

“Peter, I know-”

“You don’t know anything!” The boy said as he shook Tony, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

“I lost my parents too, Peter! They were murdered!” Tony barked, a flicker of rage in his eyes. “I know what it’s like to want revenge. I’ve gone down that route before! Why do you think I told you not to do what I’d done? You won’t feel better, Peter. She’s gone, and dirtying your hands isn’t going to bring her back or make her proud. You’re not a killer Peter, and no matter how much you might hate me for it, I won’t let you become one.”

Tony’s words hit Peter like a sack of bricks, breaking whatever little was left of his self control. He knew Tony was giving him a unique opportunity to learn more about the man’s past, but he couldn’t muster the energy to truly care right now. He just… wanted his aunt back.

Peter let go of the lapels of Tony’s suit and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders heaving with the strength of his sorrow. He didn’t even notice as Tony rearranged them in order to cradle Peter’s head against his shoulder. He ran his hand through Peter’s hair, making soft humming noises as Peter continued to cry. Peter didn’t know how to stop. He couldn’t see anything past the tears, and he was glad he didn’t have to.

He buried his face in Tony’s pristine shirt and cried, trying his hardest not to stop breathing altogether. Tony held him tighter, as if trying to keep Peter’s soul from fully breaking to pieces.

Peter wasn’t sure the man could do it.

“I’m so sorry,” Tony whispered once, before saying it again and again, not quite sure Peter was one hundred percent mentally present, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t sure whether he was apologizing for not having protected May, or if he was apologizing for not being a good enough comfort. Perhaps it was both, or perhaps it was neither. Perhaps he was apologizing on behalf of the world that had so wronged the young, bright man Tony had virtually taken under his wing two years ago.

“I don’t know what… she’s dead. She’s dead. Oh god, she’s gone, Tony,” Peter said, trembling.

“I know, but you’re not alone, Peter. You’ll never be alone,” Tony babbled, half aware that he was repeating what Jarvis had once told him when his mother had died. “I’m here.”

“I wasn’t there to protect her,” Peter admitted, the guilt gnawing at his insides.

“It wasn’t your job to do so,” Tony said seriously. “You are a kid, Peter. Even if you don’t want to admit it, you’re still young. Your job was to be in school. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine,”Tony said quickly, averting his eyes. “Look, I know this won’t mean much right now, but… a good man once told me that, no matter how bad things get, the sun will still rise in the morning, and you don’t have to be alone when that happens,” Tony said quietly, feeling the ghost of Jarvis’s arms wrapping around him.

He had refused to be comforted back then, but Peter wasn’t like him. No, he was better than Tony ever had been.

He gave Tony a broken smile and allowed himself to be comforted, not letting his brokenness define him.

Before Tony could say anything else, Kamala walked into the room, looking unsure of whether or not she was welcomed. Peter looked back at her, surprised at the fact that he hadn’t noticed her presence before. It was a testament to how distraught he was. His hearing had sharpened significantly since the spider had bit him, but he had been too suffocated by his own grieve to notice anything past Tony’s comforting embrace.

She approached the two men slowly, kneeling next to them. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no sound came out. She shuffled uncomfortably, looking down at her hands, before finally whispering “I’m sorry… about… your aunt.” She swallowed visibly before continuing. “I… I know we’re not really friends or anything, but… I… if you need anything… I… I know what it’s like to… I… you know… I am alone too.” She ended in a hushed tone, rubbing her hands together as she became more and more anxious.

She had come into the room hoping to offer some kind of comfort. Peter had been extremely kind to her when Tony had brought her to the compound six months ago. Tony had been off fighting for her rights, which Kamala was eternally grateful for, but that had meant she hadn’t gotten to spend as much time around the man. Peter, however, had stuck around everyday after school.

They had not spoken all that much, mostly because Kamala still felt a bit too traumatized to say much. She had lost too much, and she wasn’t sure how to start rebuilding upon herself, but she had developed a soft spot for the boy currently crying in front of her.

And so she had come, because she _understood_. She knew what it was like to be left utterly alone in the world.

But then again, as she had just found out, so did Tony. Perhaps that was why the man had taken her in, had given her clothes, had brought her into the team even though she wasn’t allowed to fight yet.

Tony suddenly squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring nod, before slowly placing Peter on the floor. “I’m going to get us all some food, alright? Peter, are you alright staying with Kam for a bit?” Tony asked ever so softly.

“Yeah,” Peter said in a raspy voice, his eyes still looking a bit lifeless. “I.. yeah… I don’t want to impose-”

“Nonsense, this is your home, now. I already have a room set up for you. You two chat, and I’ll see to the food, and then you can go sleep for a bit.” Tony squeezed his shoulder. “Just.. deep breaths, ok? We’ll deal with this one step at a time.”

Kamala watched the man leave the room and she turned to face Peter, giving him a sad smile. “You think you can hold down food?”

Peter shrugged.

Kamala sighed, and came closer to rub Peter’s back. “I know this doesn’t mean much right now, but… I think we’ll be okay. Someday… somehow… we’ll be okay.”


	2. Science Fair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes."  
> \- Hugh Prather

“I’m sorry Tony, but we can’t let him sign if we don’t know his real identity,” the UN secretary told Tony, leaving the signed document on the table. “This provides no accountability if-”

“Fredrick, with all due respect, this is a minor we’re talking about,” Tony snapped. 

The man sighed. “If he’s a minor he shouldn’t even-”

“I’m not saying I want him in the field anytime soon. The contract he currently has specifies that. There’s no way I’m letting him out with me until he turns 18, but we need to start the contract process, because I know him, Fredrick, and he’s starting to go stir crazy every time he sees us go out there without him. I want to train him safely, and the only way to do that is if I have the UN’s permission.” 

“And what happens if something goes wrong? We don’t have a face to hold accountable,” the man snapped. 

“Yes, you will,” Tony said easily. “You will have me. Did you even read the documents I sent you? I will be legally responsible for Spider Man until he turns twenty one, same thing we did with Kamala - who, if you remember-” 

“Yes, I know, you’re her legal guardian,” the man said with a dismissive wave. 

“No, I adopted her,” Tony corrected her. “Not the same thing.” 

“My apologies,” Fredrick said drily. “But regardless, the comparison is not appropriate since she does not currently have a contract with the UN. She has been granted permission to begin training in order to control her powers, but she’s not allowed to go on the field.”

“I know, and I don’t want her on the field until she’s at least eighteen, but Pe- Spider Man is older and will also be under my guardianship,” Tony said with an eyeroll. He hated repeating himself. “Like I said, Spider Man is not going into the field any time soon, but I want to start training him.” 

“And how can we make sure you will constantly keep track of him?” 

Tony smiled. “I made his suit, it has a tracker in it, amongst other things. I know where he is at all times. Not to mention… he lives with me.” 

The man’s brows rose, realizing Tony Stark was letting him in on a very personal secret in order to get him to agree to the contract. It was no secret that Tony Stark had begun, and successfully finalized, two adoptions; he had decided to adopt a young woman named Kamala Khan, whom he had met while one the field and a young man called Peter Parker, who, as far as the press had released, had been close to Tony before the boy’s caretaker was murdered. There was only one reason he would entrust Fredrick with such a secret: to show him that the kid posed no harm as Tony would keep both his children in line. 

The man grumbled under his breath before finally agreeing. It was hard saying no to Tony Stark. He was not only a very likable man when he wanted to be, but he knew exactly what strings to pull when he needed something done. Yes, he wasn’t quite sure it was a good idea to start training such a young man, but, at the same time, he knew Spider Man was itching to join his now adoptive father in his quest to protect the world. There wasn’t a week that went by where he didn’t hear about the young hero saving someone’s life in New York. 

And that’s exactly what Tony was asking for; legal permission to let Peter help protect the streets of NY - with the help of the virtually omnipresent iron man. 

Fredrick just hoped this decision didn’t come back to bite him in the ass.

* * *

 

“Peter, we’re gonna be late!” Tony all but yelled as he bottled some fresh orange juice which he had bought for Peter and grabbed a cup of coffee for himself.  

The young man jumped over the rail on the second floor, landing on his feet after doing an elegant somersault in the air. 

“Show off,” Tony teased as he threw Peter’s backpack at him. “Now c’mon you’re gonna be late.” 

“You don’t have to drive me, y’know,” Peter said casually, unable to hide his nervousness and slight discomfort. 

Tony froze, his finger hovering over the elevator button. “Do you not want me to? I… Kam told me you wanted me to come with you, that’s why… I mean if you’d rather-”

“No, I do want you to come!” Peter was quick to assure Tony. “That’s not… I just… I mean I really do want you to see the finished product but… I don’t know if you’ll like my projects,” Peter finished slightly awkwardly, hoping Tony wouldn’t catch him on the lie. 

This had nothing to do with the project, and everything to do with how people were acting when it came to Peter.  

He hadn’t really given the adoption much thought to the aftermath of the adoption when they had first signed the papers. It had been Christmas when they had signed them, and they had stayed at the mansion for the entirety of winter recess, so he hadn’t really had much communication with the outside world. They had filed the papers and life had gone on without a hitch - that is until he had come out of his little perfect bubble. 

While the news hadn’t been that interested in him, all the gossip sites and the yellow pages had been. Magazine after magazine had begun speculating whether or not Tony Stark was planning on retiring, whether Peter had said yes because Tony had money or not. It had been disgusting to see the silly things they came up with, but the worst had been school. 

He had never been a famous kid. He had always sat at the back of the class, done his homework, gone unnoticed - and he had loved it that way. It allowed him to be Spider Man without the need to lie all that much. Now, however, things were very different.  _ Everyone  _ knew who Peter Parker was. Kids, both younger and older than him, whom he had never spoken to were suddenly very keen on getting to know him. They were all after juicy stories about why Tony had adopted him, about how the genius was like, about how much money he had. 

He hated every second of it, which is why he had begun hanging out only with his three closest friends, who continued to see him for who he was; a nerdy kid who had lost his aunt, who had gained a father in many ways, and who was just trying to help people in his spare time when he didn’t have too much homework.

But now it was almost the end of the school year, and their science fair was finally here, and so Peter, who was a part of the robotics club and the biochemistry brigade, had two projects that were being showcased at school. That of course meant Tony wanted to come and support him since he had no one else left to be there for him. And damn it he really wanted the man to be there, but he hadn’t told him anything about his problems at school, and he really didn’t want to tell him now.

Tony frowned. “Peter, I’ve seen you work on it, day in and day out. I’m already proud of your work, why the hell would you be nervous about showing it to me?” Tony said, sounding confused. 

Peter sighed, there was no way he was getting out of it. “No you’re right, I’m just being silly.” He gave Tony a tentative smile. “Alright, let’s go.”

* * *

 

The fair was more than a little crowded, in Tony’s opinion. They had always been pretty empty, when he had been a kid, but he was actually happy to see people take more of an interest in the beauty that was inventing. He walked stealthily past people, not really interested in seeing what others were doing. He was here for Peter, and nothing else was going to hold his attention, not until he got to see the fruit of the boy’s hard work. 

Tony had helped him a bit with his latest robotic prototype as he was reminded of his own trials when he had been a kid and had first begun trying to bring dum-e to life. It had been fun going back to the very basics, as Peter’s fair - like most fairs - prohibited most actually useful elements and technology from being used to avoid some kids from having advantages over others.

Tony hurried his step once he finally got a glimpse of Peter, who was presenting his project to a rather large group of onlookers. He slid easily to the front, giving the young man a wink once he turned his eyes to Tony. Peter couldn’t help but smile at his adoptive father, who looked more than happy to be stuck in a gym with over a hundred people, most of which were probably there to see if Iron Man showed up.

Peter finished his presentation some ten minutes later, feeling slightly flushed by the end of it. He hadn’t expected to get such a big crowd. It was incredible how much of a magnet Tony was. It was impossible for the man to go anywhere without attracting a crowd and, the weirdest thing was, the man didn’t even seem to notice or, if he did, he certainly wasn’t bothered by it. 

His eyes had never once left Peter or his project, his small but genuine smile had also never left his lips. It wasn’t a smile Peter was used to seeing in public. Tony had a very… specific image of himself he presented whenever he was out and about in the world - an image very different from the one Peter knew to be the real Tony. But today it seemed like Tony had left that behind. Today it wasn’t Tony Stark respected superhero by day eccentric billionaire by night; today he was Tony Stark adoptive father of a nerdy teenage boy and a passionate, activist teenage girl, a guy who had too many problems and not enough sleep.  

“You should introduce this little guy to dum-e,” Tony mentioned once Peter approached him. “I think they would get along nicely.” 

“I think dum-e is a little too advanced for this one,” Peter said as he picked up his small creation. 

“nonsense, “ Tony said with a dismissive hand. “A few more technical touches and he’ll be a usable tool.”

Before Peter could answer, Ned nudged Peter in the ribs, waving enthusiastically at Tony. “Hello Mr. Stark! I hope you are enjoying the fair. I hope you don’t mind but I need Peter to present-”

“Say no more Ned,” Tony said with a kind smile. “You two run along, I’ll go check it out in a bit.” 

Both teenagers smiled, quickly disappearing, leaving Tony to wander after them at a slower pace to give them time to ready the experiment. He never reached the stand, however, as an alarm suddenly blared from above, and a voice coming through the speakers explained the school was now on lockdown, as there was an attack in the city. 

“Fucking… really,” Tony muttered under his breath, feeling incredibly annoyed. He extended his arm outwards, calling the suit he always carried with him to him.

Within the next minute the suit had barged in through the door, flying quickly towards Tony to attach itself around him. He could feel the suit whirring to life as he flew up. “Alright Fry, what’s the problem?” 

“There was an explosion near here, boss,” Friday explained. “I am sending you the coordinates.” 

“Peter,” Tony called out, turning to look at where the boy was standing, clearly looking for a way to get out undetected. He flew towards him, landing next to him. “Stay here and make sure everyone remains safe. Don’t try to follow me, please. We haven’t secured the UN’s approval yet, so just… remain on the down low for today, ok?” 

The boy deflated at that. “But-”

“Peter,” Tony said curtly, letting the boy know this wasn’t up for discussion.

“Ugh… fine, okay… I’ll help here,” Peter said, clearly not pleased with Tony’s decision.

Tony squeezed his arm softly, aware that he was much stronger in the suit. “Thank you, Friday has already called for reinforcements. Make sure to help Hope with whatever she asks, ok?” 

Peter nodded, biting his tongue as he watched Tony fly out. He hated feeling useless. He had so much power inside him, and yet he wasn’t allowed to help people. He hated it. He was ready to go with Tony and the rest of the team. 

“Man, your dad is so cool,” a little kid said. He had moved closer to Peter once Iron man had landed and thus had seen them interacting. “I wish my dad was a superhero.” 

Peter smiled softly at the kid, not quite sure how to respond. 

Yes, it was pretty cool having a superhero for an adoptive parent. It was pretty cool to know he was out there saving lives. But, if he was out there risking his life, then who was going to protect Tony? Who was going to help protect the world? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry for not updating this in so long, but hey you get a new chapter now! FYI the whole adoption thing mentioned here can be found as an actual chapter in my other side fic "here's to the future because I'm done with the past".

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it!! I had fun writing this. I am OBSESSED with the homecoming trailer, so you'lll definitely be seeing elements of that peppered in this fic.


End file.
